Shopping for the
Change Table

Somewhere to Change

First decision, and the biggest: what does bub actually lie on, and where does everything else live? These four all answer the same question in very different ways.

Change Table with Drawers

Everything about a change station multiplies: nappies, creams, spare clothes, the mystery items Grandma keeps buying. Drawers underneath swallow the lot and keep the bench clear for the actual job. A raised edge is worth looking for, and any change table that can be anchored should be secured according to its instructions.

Change Table with Open Shelves

Same table, no drawer fronts, so everything sits in view and within reach. You can grab a nappy one-handed without wrestling a drawer, which matters more than you'd think when the other hand is holding a leg. The trade-off is that the whole world sees your nappy stacks, and so does a crawling baby a few months from now. Baskets on the shelves solve both.

Trolley

The change station on wheels. A three-tier trolley holds the full kit and rolls from nursery to lounge to wherever you happen to be. It can also replace a dedicated table altogether: bub gets changed on a mat on the bed or floor, and the supplies come to them.

Changing Basket

Lovely enough to leave out in the loungeroom, which is exactly why it gets used. The padded insert means the change station is wherever you set it down, and it's lighter to shift than a trolley. Same rule as every raised surface: your hand stays on bub, and it only goes somewhere it can't tip or slide.

Wall Anchor Kit

Toppling furniture is one of those risks nobody thinks about until the news reminds them, and a change table gets leaned on, pulled at and eventually climbed. An anchor kit secures the table to the wall so it can't tip forward. Some tables already come with one in the box, so check before you buy another.

Padded Change Mat

Nappy changes happen at 5am, 3pm and every hour in between, and a cushioned mat gives bub a softer landing while giving you a wipeable surface for the actual job. Contoured sides can add a little containment once the wriggling starts, but they're not a substitute for keeping a hand on bub. Some mats also come with a safety strap.

Change Mat Covers

Wipeable plastic is practical right up until you lie a bare bottom on it during a winter night change, at which point everyone in the house finds out. A soft fitted cover fixes the cold-shock problem, and a spare in the drawer means the 3am change doesn't stall while the first one's in the wash.

Night Light

A decent chunk of your changes will happen in the dark, and flicking on the big light at 3am wakes bub up properly, which defeats the entire point of a quick change. A warm-toned night light near the table gives you enough to work by while keeping the room sleepy. Plug-in, portable and sensor styles all do the job.

Heater

A bare baby in a cold room lets you know about it immediately, which is why some families end up warming the change space in winter. A heater solves the room-temperature problem rather than anything specifically nappy-related, so whether you need one depends mostly on the room you're changing in. If you do use one, keep it well clear of the change area, with cords out of reach, and don't leave it running unattended.

Terry Toweling Cloths

One of those deeply unexciting things that somehow keeps finding another job. Lay one over the change mat to catch surprises, throw one over your shoulder for burping, mop up whatever needs mopping. They wash easily, dry quickly and tend to stay in circulation long after the change table has retired.

Pee Teepee

The purpose-built version of that strategic draping. Cold air on a bare bottom is the classic trigger for a mid-change fountain, and this little absorbent cone sits over boy parts to catch it before it reaches your top, the wall or bub's own face. A folded cloth does the same job for free; the teepee just stays put better.

Nappies & Disposal

The nappies themselves, and the surprisingly involved question of what happens to them once they've done their job.

Disposable Nappies

The grab-a-clean-one, bin-the-dirty-one option, with sizes generally based on weight rather than age. Newborns can move through the early sizes surprisingly quickly, which is worth knowing before you turn a half-price sale into a ceiling-high nappy stockpile. Beyond fit, the choices mostly come down to absorbency, materials, price and what agrees with your baby's skin.

Cloth Nappies

Modern cloth nappies are a different species to the pin-and-fold ones your mum remembers: shaped, adjustable and genuinely cute. They cost more upfront and bring a washing routine with them, but can cost less over time, particularly if they're used for more than one child. And it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing decision. Plenty of families mix cloth and disposables depending on where they are and what kind of day they're having.

Nappy Pants

These pull on like undies instead of fastening flat with tabs, which sounds like a tiny difference until your baby decides nappy changes are an excellent time to practise escaping. They're designed for the wrigglier stage, when getting a regular nappy onto a moving target starts becoming the difficult bit. Not necessarily a newborn buy; more of a why-is-my-baby-upside-down buy.

Nappy Bin

You've never smelled anything until you've caught a day-old nappy on a warm afternoon. A dedicated nappy bin is designed to contain that smell between changes and bin day, with some sealing or wrapping each nappy as it goes in. The alternative is a normal bin or taking nappies straight outside, which plenty of families genuinely prefer.

Nappy Bin Liners

Many sealed nappy bins use their own refill cartridges or liners, which means the cost doesn't end when you buy the bin. Before choosing one, it's worth knowing what the refills cost and whether compatible alternatives are available. The ongoing cost may matter more than the price stuck on the bin.

Nappy Disposable Bags

A small bag gives you somewhere to contain a dirty nappy before it reaches the bin, particularly when you're away from home and the nearest wheelie bin isn't three steps away. Some families use them for every dirty nappy; others only keep a roll in the nappy bag for changes on the go. Another tiny product solving a very specific problem.

The Wipes Aisle

This is where change station shopping gets confusing, because several products look like they're doing roughly the same job. They aren't.

Baby Wipes

The packet you'll probably see in every nappy aisle, designed to make a dirty-bottom clean-up possible without carrying bub to the bath six times a day. The choices multiply quickly: scented and fragrance-free, thicker and thinner, mostly water and everything in between. Different babies' skin can respond differently, which is one reason buying the enormous bulk box before you've met yours can be a gamble.

Dry Wipes

These are soft dry cloths with nothing already added to them; you wet one with water when you need it. They solve the problem for families who want control over exactly what goes onto bub's skin, without switching to washable cloths. Reusable versions do essentially the same job and head to the laundry instead of the bin.

Disinfectant Wipes

Same-looking packet, completely different job. These are for cleaning suitable surfaces, not babies, which makes storing them right beside the baby wipes less clever at 3am than it first appears. If you're using them on a change mat or table, check that the product and the surface manufacturer's cleaning instructions agree with each other.

Tissues

For all the little jobs where breaking out a baby wipe feels excessive: milky chins, dribbles, your own nose while your hands are otherwise occupied. A box near the change table simply saves another trip across the room. Cheap, boring, surprisingly busy.

Cotton Balls

Tiny, soft and useful when a whole wipe is far more equipment than the job requires. Wet with water, they can handle small clean-ups around the face and skin, or give you a disposable way to dab something on without using your fingers. They're very much a little-job product rather than a nappy-change essential.

Wipe Warmer

Some babies object loudly to a cold wipe, particularly when the room is cold too, and this is the appliance invented for that exact complaint. It sits beside the change station and keeps wipes warm and ready to go. Plenty of families never encounter the problem at all - and a wipe warmed between your hands works just as well.

Wipes Case

The packet of wipes is perfectly functional until the sticky flap stops sticking, the top wipes dry out or the whole thing gets squashed at the bottom of the nappy bag. A refillable case gives them a sturdier home and usually dispenses one at a time rather than bringing four friends with it. At home it's an organiser; out and about it can be more useful.

Bottoms, Skin & After the Bath

Baby skin has considerably more going on than the flawless peach in the ads. Dry patches, flaky scalps, nappy irritation, and an entire shelf of creams, oils and powders promising to help.

Nappy Rash Cream

This is the cream designed to put a protective barrier between bub's skin and everything happening inside the nappy. Some families reach for it constantly, others only when skin starts looking irritated, and different products range from simple barrier creams to medicated treatments for specific problems. If you're looking at the medicated end of the shelf, that's a pharmacist, child health nurse or GP question rather than a shopping decision.

Baby Powder

The old change-table tin was supposed to keep damp skin folds dry, which is why baby powder still turns up on shopping lists. But this is one product where the advice has moved on: Australian guidance recommends avoiding both talcum and cornstarch-based powders on babies. So you may see it on the shelf, but it doesn't automatically need a place on yours.

Skincare

There are baby lotions, creams, balms and moisturisers for dry skin, which can make it look as though every baby requires a skincare routine. They don't. This shelf is really solving one problem: skin that needs extra moisture, so whether you need anything from it depends on the skin your actual baby arrives with.

Baby Oil

A bottle labelled baby oil can end up doing several jobs: adding slip for baby massage, moisturising dry skin and sometimes softening the flaky scales of cradle cap before they're gently brushed away. That versatility is why it turns up beside the change table, but it's not a compulsory bottle just because there's a baby in the house.

Massage Oil

Baby massage doesn't require its own product, but oil gives your hands some glide rather than dragging across dry skin. A dedicated massage oil is really a convenience buy for families who make massage part of the after-bath or bedtime routine. Your local council or health centre often runs free baby massage classes.

Hooded Bath Towel

Babies lose heat fast out of the bath, mostly through their heads, and the hood solves exactly that on the trip from bathroom to change table. It also makes bub look like a small towelling wizard, which you will photograph. Two is a washing-cycle decision, not a rule; one family's spare is another family's clutter.

Little Jobs While You're There

The change table is where you'll notice things: the warm forehead, the blocked nose, the tiny talons. Which is why a few of the products sold for these little jobs often end up living nearby.

Thermometer

A warm forehead is usually the moment you realise you need one, which is why a thermometer tends to become part of the baby kit sooner or later. There are digital probe, ear and forehead styles, but they're not all equally suited to every age, particularly in the newborn months. This is one product where checking the age guidance before you buy matters more than choosing the fanciest one.

Nasal Aspirator

Babies can't blow their noses, which explains this slightly alarming-looking little gadget. It removes mucus by bulb, pump or the parent-powered tube style that's considerably less gross in practice than it sounds. Some families barely use one; for others, the first blocked nose is the moment it earns its drawer space.

Hair Brush

Some bubs arrive nearly bald, some arrive with a full head of business, and both somehow still get given a hairbrush. A soft baby brush smooths whatever hair there is and can also be handy for gently loosening flaky scalp skin. Tiny grooming tool, very variable workload.

Nail Clippers

Those tiny nails can be surprisingly sharp, but trimming them is also one of those jobs that looks much easier before there's a tiny moving finger involved. Baby clippers, scissors and files all solve the same problem in slightly different ways. Plenty of nervous first-timers start with the file until their hands stop shaking.

Hand Sanitiser

You can't leave a baby on a raised surface to duck off and wash your hands, so the washing has to come to you. A pump bottle at the table sorts your hands after the change, before you pick bub back up. Pump-style specifically, because one hand is permanently occupied at this bench.

Keeping it all Together

The last shelf: the organising, the laundry and the entertainment committee. None of it changes a nappy, but some of it makes the whole operation considerably easier.

Caddy

Nappies, wipes, cream and a spare outfit in one carry-handled basket, so the supplies can move around the house with you. Even with a fully stocked change table, a caddy starts making sense the first evening the baby is in the lounge and everything you need is in the nursery. For some families it's the backup station; for others, it's the whole station.

Laundry Basket

A baby generates a frankly unreasonable amount of washing, and a surprising amount of it comes off at the change table. A basket nearby gives dirty clothes, towels and change mat covers somewhere to go instead of creating a small fabric mountain on the floor. Whether it needs a lid depends largely on what tends to land in it.

Onesies

The outfit you spent forever choosing will eventually meet a nappy leak or an almighty spit-up approximately 40 seconds after you put it on. Keeping spare outfits at the change station means the second change can happen in the same place as the first. Zips, snaps and envelope necks all have their devotees; you'll work out surprisingly quickly which fastenings annoy you at 3am.

Dummy

Some babies find change time fascinating and some find it deeply offensive, and a dummy can be useful if yours already finds one comforting. Some babies never take to them at all, so this is very much an actual-baby purchase rather than something every change table needs.

Cot Mobile

A mobile above the change area gives bub something interesting to look at while you're dealing with the other end. It needs to be securely fitted and well out of reach, and once little hands can reach or pull at it, its change-table career is over. Enjoy the trance while it lasts.

Board Books

A little board book beside the change mat gives you something to hand over once changes stop being a passive activity. High-contrast pictures may hold the attention of a younger baby; later on the book is just as likely to be grabbed, turned over and chewed. Board pages are simply much better equipped for that job than paper ones.

Toys

As babies grow, lying still for a nappy change can become less interesting than absolutely anything else in the room. A couple of small, age-appropriate toys kept nearby can give busy hands something else to investigate while you get the job done. Some families swear by a special change-table toy; others discover the wipes packet is apparently far more fascinating.

Every product here solved a very specific change station problem for somebody.

You won't know which of those problems are yours until you've met your actual baby. A few hundred nappy changes from now, this list will probably read completely differently. The thing you couldn't imagine needing may suddenly make perfect sense, while something everyone told you to buy may still be sitting untouched.

That's the point of a Reverse Checklist. You don't have to predict every problem before it happens. You just need to know what's out there if one does.

None of it sells out.